Shincheonji argues that John the Baptist’s question from prison — “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3) — is proof that he began to betray Jesus. But this reasoning falls apart when we look at the rest of Scripture. Many of God’s faithful servants struggled with doubt in moments of weakness, yet they are celebrated as models of faith:

• Abraham doubted God’s promise of a son, even laughing at the idea (Genesis 17:17), yet he is remembered as the father of faith (Romans 4:20–22).
• Moses questioned whether God really chose him, saying, “What if they do not believe me?” (Exodus 4:1), but he became Israel’s great deliverer and prophet.
• Elijah, after his victory on Mount Carmel, fell into despair and prayed to die (1 Kings 19:4), yet he was taken up into heaven and honored at the Transfiguration.
• Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus, insisting he would not believe without seeing and touching (John 20:25), but when confronted with the risen Christ, he confessed one of the clearest declarations of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

John’s moment of doubt in prison fits within this same biblical pattern. Human weakness does not erase a life of faithful service. Jesus did not condemn John but instead reassured him with evidence of fulfilled prophecy (Matthew 11:4–6) and declared him the greatest born of women (Matthew 11:11). If doubt equaled betrayal, then half of the heroes of faith would be guilty of apostasy.

From the very beginning, John the Baptist’s role was not uncertain or conditional — it was established by God Himself through the angel Gabriel. In Luke 1:13–17, Gabriel made a series of promises to Zechariah about John’s life and mission:

• His coming would bring joy and gladness to his parents.

• Many would rejoice at his birth, recognizing God’s hand upon him.

• He would be great in the sight of the Lord.

• He would live a consecrated life, drinking no wine or strong drink.

• He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

• He would turn many of Israel back to the Lord their God.

• He would go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah, preparing a people ready for the Lord.

This divine appointment was confirmed even before John’s birth. When Mary visited Elizabeth, carrying the unborn Christ, “the baby leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41–44), showing that John, still in the womb, already bore witness to Jesus.

These promises show that John’s identity and mission were secured by God, not dependent on his circumstances or emotions. Even in prison, when John expressed doubt, the angel’s word about him stood firm. To call John a “betrayer” is to call into question not only John’s faithfulness but the truthfulness of God’s own promise delivered through Gabriel.

Gabriel’s announcement over John the Baptist did not stop at his birth — it laid out his lifelong mission. In Luke 1:76–80, Zechariah prophesied that John would be “called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people the knowledge of salvation… to guide our feet into the path of peace.” The passage concludes by affirming that “the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.”

This shows that John’s role as prophet, forerunner, and preparer of God’s people was not theoretical — it was realized in history. He fulfilled what was promised: turning hearts back to God, preparing Israel for the Messiah, and pointing the people to Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

Significantly, even Zechariah himself struggled to believe Gabriel’s promise at first. In Luke 1:18–20, he asked, “How will I know this for certain?” Gabriel rebuked his doubt, declaring:

I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.

Despite Zechariah’s hesitation, Gabriel affirmed that God’s word stands firm: “My words will be fulfilled in their time.” And so they were — John was born, filled with the Spirit, and faithfully accomplished his calling as the forerunner of Christ.

Thus, even though humans may doubt, God’s promises remain unshaken. To label John the Baptist as a betrayer because of a fleeting moment of uncertainty in prison (Matt. 11:3) ignores the clear testimony of Scripture: God’s word concerning him never failed, and John fulfilled his divinely appointed mission.

Shincheonji insists that the “spirit of Elijah” was literally working through John the Baptist, but this isn’t biblical. Scripture does not describe John as being possessed by Elijah’s spirit; rather, it identifies him as the forerunner who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). This means John’s ministry carried the same prophetic intent, boldness, and mission as Elijah’s — confronting false religion, calling people to repentance, and preparing the way for the Lord. The parallels between their lives show why John was recognized as Elijah’s representative, not because Elijah’s spirit entered him, but because John embodied Elijah’s prophetic role and rationale.

When John the Baptist, confined in prison, sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are You the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2–3), this was not an act of betrayal. It was a moment of human struggle, a man isolated, facing imminent death, and wrestling with how the Messiah’s ministry was unfolding differently than expected. Far from turning away from Christ, John turned toward Him.

Notice carefully: John did not abandon his mission or renounce Jesus. Instead, he sent his disciples directly to Christ for confirmation. This shows that even in his doubt, he anchored his hope in Jesus. He sought reassurance not from men, but from the Messiah Himself. And Jesus did not rebuke John — instead, He responded with evidence of fulfilled prophecy: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:5). Then, in front of the crowds, Jesus declared John to be the greatest born of women (Matthew 11:11).

Matthew 11:4–6  -Go and tell John what you hear and see… the blind receive their sight… And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”

When John sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the One, Christ did not rebuke John. Instead, He immediately turned to the crowds and gave one of the strongest commendations in Scripture (Matthew 11:7–11; Luke 7:24–28).

Breaking down Jesus’ words:

Luke 7:29–30 records the divided response to Jesus’ testimony about John. The ordinary people, even tax collectors, acknowledged God’s righteousness because they had received John’s baptism. They recognized John’s ministry as God’s work and therefore affirmed the justice of His plan. In contrast, the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected John’s baptism, and in doing so, Scripture says they “rejected God’s purpose for themselves.” To accept or reject John was ultimately to accept or reject the God who had sent him.

Jesus then compared that generation to children who could not be pleased (Luke 7:31–35). The people dismissed John as demon-possessed because of his ascetic lifestyle, while accusing Jesus of being a glutton and friend of sinners because of His fellowship with the outcasts. Yet both John and Jesus were faithfully carrying out the missions entrusted to them by God. The criticisms of “this generation” exposed their spiritual blindness — their refusal to recognize God’s work — rather than any failure in John or Christ.

Shincheonji often argues that John the Baptist failed in his mission because not all of his disciples immediately followed Jesus. They suggest that John should have ordered his followers to abandon him and go to Christ. But this misunderstands both John’s role and the way discipleship unfolded in the Gospels.

The Gospels show that John’s disciples were divided in their response. Some remained with him even after his public testimony about Jesus (John 3:22–30). These disciples expressed confusion, even envy, when Jesus’ ministry began to grow. In his final testimony, however, John clarified his position: he was not the Bridegroom but the friend of the Bridegroom, declaring, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John’s role was to shine as a lamp until the Bridegroom appeared, and then to fade so that all attention would be on Christ.

Others, such as Andrew and Peter, received John’s witness and followed Jesus (John 1:35–42). Yet their full transition into discipleship only occurred after John was imprisoned, when Jesus began His public ministry (Mark 1:14–20). John’s task was never to command people to leave him, but to prepare them so that when Jesus called, they would recognize and follow Him.

As for Mark 2:18–22, where John’s disciples are mentioned alongside the Pharisees in questioning Jesus about fasting, this does not indicate rebellion or betrayal. They were simply practicing the traditions of the law, which Jesus affirmed as valid until all was fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). Their questions reflected misunderstanding, not rejection. Jesus responded by pointing them to a new reality: His presence as the Bridegroom marked a time for joy, not fasting.

It is also important to remember that both John the Baptist and his disciples still lived under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant had not yet been fully enacted until Christ’s death and resurrection (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:15–17). John’s role, then, was transitional, bridging the Old Covenant to the New by preparing a people for the Messiah.

Jesus declared, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This verse has sometimes been misunderstood as if Jesus were diminishing John’s righteousness or implying he was unfaithful. But that is not the meaning.

John was the greatest prophet under the Old Covenant — the culmination of all who came before him, preparing the way for the Messiah. His greatness lay in his unique role as the forerunner of Christ. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven would be greater, not because of superior character or righteousness, but because of their place within the New Covenant.

After the cross and Pentecost, those who believe in Christ receive what John never experienced in his lifetime: the fullness of the Spirit, the adoption as children of God, and the eternal redemption secured by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The kingdom Jesus inaugurated brings not only external testimony, but internal transformation through grace. As Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever.” This is the greatness of the New Covenant — that by grace and the Spirit’s indwelling, even the least believer shares in a reality that surpasses the greatest figures under the old.

John the Baptist stood as the culmination of the Old Testament prophets. Scripture testifies that he prepared the way for the Messiah (Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3), was filled with the Holy Spirit even from the womb (Luke 1:15), lived a life wholly devoted and separated for God’s purpose, and served as the bridge between the Old Covenant and the New. Jesus Himself called him “more than a prophet” (Matthew 11:9). Among those born under the old covenant, John was the pinnacle — the greatest born of women.

Yet Jesus immediately pointed to something greater: “The one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). This was not a rebuke of John’s faithfulness but a declaration that the New Covenant, secured by Christ’s death and resurrection, would bring an even greater reality. From John’s time forward, the kingdom of heaven was advancing in conflict (Matthew 11:12–13), but its fulfillment in Christ would usher in the Spirit, adoption, and redemption. Jesus even identified John as the prophesied Elijah (Matthew 11:14), underscoring his unique role in God’s plan.

Luke 7:31–35 shows how John and Jesus were both misunderstood. The crowds accused John of having a demon because of his strict asceticism, and they accused Jesus of being a glutton and drunkard because of His fellowship with sinners. But Jesus concludes: “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children” — meaning that the works of John and Jesus themselves prove the wisdom of God.

Those who were baptized by John recognized God’s justice (Luke 7:29), while the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose by rejecting him (Luke 7:30). To claim that John was wicked, demon-possessed, or a betrayer is to stand with the blind generation that Jesus rebuked as childish and undiscerning. Scripture and Christ’s own words vindicate John the Baptist as faithful, chosen, and the greatest prophet of the old covenant.

Luke 7:33–35 records Jesus’ direct defense of John the Baptist:

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

In this statement, Jesus does three things at once. First, He defends John against the slander that his strict lifestyle meant he was demon-possessed. Second, He defends Himself, pointing out that His willingness to fellowship with sinners drew the opposite accusation of indulgence. Together, these show that the critics could never be satisfied — their rejection revealed their hardness, not any fault in John or Jesus. Finally, Jesus concludes by saying that true wisdom is vindicated by its results. John’s ministry bore righteous fruit in those who repented and were baptized, just as Jesus’ ministry bore the fruit of salvation.

To agree with John’s accusers is, in effect, to stand against Jesus Himself. It is to call God’s wisdom foolishness. But Christ’s words stand as His final verdict: John was no betrayer, no failure, and no demon-possessed man. He was the greatest prophet of the old covenant, and his deeds — and Jesus’ own testimony — vindicate his faithfulness.

1. John the Baptist as the Lamp
Jesus Himself declared that John “was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light” (John 5:35). Far from accusing John of betrayal, Jesus affirmed that he testified to the truth (John 5:33). John’s light was temporary by design, because his mission was not to be the eternal source of salvation but to point to the one true Light, Christ (John 1:6–9).

2. The Pattern of the Lamp Dimming
The imagery of a lamp dimming is not inherently negative. In fact, it fits the biblical pattern of transition. In Leviticus 24:1–4, God commanded Aaron to tend the lamps “from evening till morning.” The lamp was meant to give light through the night, but by morning its role ceased as the sun rose. This was not failure or corruption but the natural order God established — the lamp gives way to the greater light.

3. John’s Fulfillment, Not Failure
In the same way, John’s lamp burned brightly until Christ, the true Light of the world, began His public ministry. John’s “dimming” at death was not betrayal, but the completion of his prophetic role. To call it failure would be to say that God designed an ordinance that was inherently sinful — which Scripture never teaches. Instead, John’s lamp prepared the way, then rightly gave way to the rising Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2).

In John 10:11–13, Jesus draws a sharp contrast between the true shepherd, the hired hand, and the wolf:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees… He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

If we apply this framework, it becomes clear that John the Baptist cannot be counted among the unfaithful:

John stood his ground as a faithful witness. He lost his head for righteousness, not because he fled responsibility. Far from being a “wolf,” John exposed wolves. Jesus Himself later warned of “false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). That description perfectly fits deceivers — but it cannot apply to John the Baptist, whose ministry was to prepare Israel for the true Shepherd.

Shincheonji’s claim that John the Baptist was “meddling” in Herod’s affairs badly misunderstands both the role of a prophet and the biblical definition of meddling. Scripture warns against meddling as interfering in matters not your own (Prov 26:17; 1 Thes 4:11). But John’s rebuke of Herod—“It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matt 14:3–4)—was not private interference. It was a prophetic duty. The Law and the Prophets commanded Israel’s leaders to uphold God’s covenant, and John, as the last great prophet, was tasked with calling even kings to repentance (Luke 1:17; 2 Kgs 17:13; Jer 35:15). His rebuke was not personal meddling, but a legal, scriptural judgment on sin. Even Herod himself recognized John as a “righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20).

If John was a meddler, then Jesus would be guilty of the same. Jesus warned His disciples about “the yeast of Herod” (Mark 8:15), called Herod “that fox” (Luke 13:32), and told sinners everywhere to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Prophets were called to confront sin, whether in common people or rulers, and John fulfilled that mission faithfully, even unto death. His rebuke of Herod was prophetic courage, not meddling. To say otherwise is to twist Scripture and ignore Jesus’ own affirmation that John was the greatest born of women (Matt 11:11).

Some in Shincheonji argue that John the Baptist’s ministry was obsolete because not all of his disciples immediately followed Jesus. But this misunderstands John’s calling. When Jesus explained fasting in Mark 2:18–22, He taught that the new wine of the kingdom could not be poured into the old wineskins of the law. This wasn’t a rebuke of John — it was a statement of transition. John’s ministry belonged to the old covenant, and its purpose was to prepare the way for Christ, not to carry His disciples into the new covenant.

Confusion during that transition was not “betrayal.” Even Jesus’ own disciples struggled repeatedly to understand His mission, yet no one accuses them of betraying Him. John faithfully fulfilled his role: he was the final voice of the old covenant (Matthew 11:13), openly declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), and prepared hearts through baptism to receive Christ (Acts 19:3–4). Far from being a failure, John was the God-ordained bridge. To brand him a betrayer is to deny the testimony of Jesus, who praised him as the greatest born of women.